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Mobile BI tools on move at leading-edge organizations

On March 7, Apple unveiled the third model of the iPad. While the updated tablet PC was touted for its high-resolution screen and increased computing power, it’s also expected to add more momentum to a mobile business intelligence (BI) movement that’s just coming into its own. Since the late 1990s, hopeful vendors have seen great potential for mobile BI tools. But the concept really didn’t crystallize until the advent of smartphones and especially tablets, most prominently the iPad. Such products are capable of delivering visually compelling, interactive, easy-to-use dashboards and reports to business executives and workers wherever they are. Mobile BI applications are also capable of mesmerizing prospective users. For example, when representatives from Whole Foods Market attended software vendor MicroStrategy Inc.’s annual user conference early last year, they were “blown away” by a mobile BI presentation by the U.K.-based Tesco retail chain, according to Dave Zodikoff, global IT director at Whole Foods. What is mobile BI? ...

Successful performance management initiatives involve more than purchasing and implementing software. And despite good intentions, there’s a high probability that you’re not getting everything you should from your system.